Hot Topics:

Crime Tip of the Week: Senior citizens should be wary of money card scams

By Duane Barbati

dbarbati@alamogordonews.com @DuaneBarbati on Twitter

Posted:
08/24/2013 08:58:02 PM MDT

Alamogordo Police Department officials say people should be wary of a money scam that targets the elderly through the mail.

The mailer boasts that the recipients have won a large amount of cash or a new car. The car is usually a brand new Mercedes-Benz.

A letter inside the mailer tells the recipient to call an toll-free number to speak to a representative in order to iron out the details on processing a cash award or to get the car delivered.People are also asked to call and pay taxes on the prize.

Sgt. Tracy Corbett, of the Alamogordo Police Department, said it's nothing more than a way to scam people out of money.

"When a person calls the number, they're asked to give their date of birth or birth year as their PIN number," Corbett said. "The victim is transferred to another person who directs them to go buy a 'Green Dot' card and put money on the card. It's like a prepaid credit card and works like a gift card. The victim is also instructed to call the person at the toll-free number."

She said the con artist at the other end of the toll-free number instructs the victim to scratch the back of the card and give them the security number."The money and the person who receives the money are basically untraceable after the security number is given out," Corbett said. "An elderly man has been directed to purchase numerous cards. He purchased about 11 cards and has lost in excess of $1,000. He has given them a lot of money. The elderly man kept getting redirected to get another card because of an error. It doesn't appear to be traceable."

Advertisement

Green Dot cards can be purchased at Walgreens, Walmart or Kmart for about $5 with the purchaser being able place cash on the card at the time of the purchase. The cards can be loaded with dollar amounts between $20 and $1,000.

They can also be reloaded with cash through Green Dot Corp.'s website at moneypak.com.

The card has a scratch strip on the reverse side. Once the strip is scratched, it allows the purchaser to pay for items or send money to a second party.

The card also has a fraud alert printed on the back just above the scratch strip. It warns consumers to use their MoneyPak number only with businesses listed on the MoneyPak website. It states that if anyone else asks for your MoneyPak number, it's probably a scam. It also states that if a criminal gets their hands on the money, Green Dot is not responsible for the loss.

"It's intended for people to pay approved MoneyPak and Green Dot card company websites," Corbett said. "The scam is usually directed at elderly citizens. They always get a letter in the mail saying they won money or a new car, but they have to pay the taxes and processing fee in order to get the prize. If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably not true. The letters always come from Third-World countries like Nigeria. They've changed their motive from asking people to send it through Western Union to telling people to get a Green Dot or MoneyPak card and give them the security code or prepaid card number. The Green Dot deal is less traceable or can't be traced at all. With the security code or card number, anyone can retrieve the money."

She said many people have fallen for the scam but are too embarrassed to report it to police.

"They won't stop until it's unprofitable for them," Corbett said. "If it sounds too good to be true or if anyone has any questions about a letter, they need to call a family member, a friend or the Alamogordo Police Department. We're more than happy to research it for them."

For more information about crime prevention, scams or citizens wishing to start a Neighborhood Watch program, contact Corbett at 439-4300.